


Can you play me a memory

by fitzcamebacktome



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Found Family, Gen, M/M, POV Nile Freeman, Religious Discussion, Team Bonding, but it's only slightly, the old guard play instruments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:53:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26289772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fitzcamebacktome/pseuds/fitzcamebacktome
Summary: The team decides to name Nile feel welcomed by playing her a song.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache & Booker | Sebastien & Nile Freeman & Joe | Yusuf & Nicky | Nicolò, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 6
Kudos: 53





	Can you play me a memory

**Author's Note:**

> A bit ago I saw someone comment that they could see Booker playing the harmonica and so I took that and ran with it. 
> 
> Many thanks to Mel AKA [whatlighttasteslike](https://archiveofourown.org/users/waitingforeleven/pseuds/whatlighttasteslike) / [@jemmafitzsimmons](http://jemmafitzsimmons.tumblr.com/) on tumblr for being my beta and Liv / [@stevenrogered](https://stevenrogered.tumblr.com//) on tumblr for convincing me to write this!
> 
> I did way more research for this fic than I probably should have. Although if I still some how got something historically inaccurate I greatly apologize and that's my fault.
> 
> This takes place during the dinner where the team first meets btw.

Nile finds everything that she's been told extremely overwhelming. Her fight or flight instincts are kicking in and she wants to flee. 

Holding her cross between her fingers, she tries to take a calming breath. 

Nicky, taking notice of how intense Nile was, stands from the dinner table. 

"Would you like to come with me to the church?" Everyone grows silent, only now realizing their guest's discomfort. All eyes are on Nile, and she feels like she's suffocating.

Not trusting herself to speak, she simply nods before standing up and following Nicky.

Nile feels a weight lifted from her shoulders the minute she steps foot inside the church. A calming warmth wraps her up instead. She's not sure what she came in here to do; to pray, or listen to the silence in the hope of hearing an answer somewhere in it. 

"Would you prefer to be alone?" Nicky's voice breaks through the stillness.

Nile wants to say no, but she hesitates, opening and closing her mouth. Nicky raises his brow slightly in question. "You don't have to stay, I know you probably don't really, you know…" She waves her hand, hoping to have gotten her point across.

"I am not like Andy." 

Nile simply forms her lips into an O. 

"That isn't to say that He and I don't have a… complicated relationship," Nicky adds with a small smirk. 

Nile holds onto her cross once more, understanding; she's been there before. She's almost surprised Nicky still has any faith at all, but she's glad they can share this. 

A piano catches her eye and before she knows it, her feet are dragging her towards it. 

As if it's a universal instinct all humans share, Nile can't help but press a key. She doesn't know much about pianos, but it sounds off, making her cringe.

Looking over at Nicky, Nile finds his eyes are slightly glazed over, staring at the piano, as if he's lost in a memory.

"It's been a long time since we played." 

Nile looks over Nicky's shoulder to see Joe leaning against the doorway, arms crossed. 

Nicky blinks, Joe's voice bringing him back to himself.

"You play?" Nile asks.

"Yes, together." Nicky says with a warm smile, that Joe mirrors as he turns to look at him.

Nile would come to learn that everything was a duet between those two, if they could help it.

Joe raises his brow slightly, eyes locked on Nicky. Nile can't help but look back and forth between them as they exchange micro expressions.

The two have an unspoken language that Nile finds fascinating. She thinks even after centuries with them, she still wouldn't come close to grasping it. 

Without another word, Joe slips out, back to the safe house.

"So, what was --" Nile makes a circular motion with her finger, towards where Joe had just left.

Nicky walks towards the piano, kneeling down in front of an old dusty box that had been placed next to it.

"Joe's going to get the others. I think it's been long enough since we've played," he says as he rummages through the box, satisfied with the contents inside. "It helps that we have a new audience," he adds with a smile over his shoulder, which Nile returns.

"When did you all learn?" Nile asks curiously as she finds a spot to sit on one of the pews. 

Nicky stands up with tools in his hands, placing them on the small bench in front of the piano. 

"I believe the history books call it the 'classical era' of music." He pauses to lift the cover of the piano up, revealing the strings. "We all decided to take up learning an instrument." With that, he begins to work on tuning it.

"You and Joe chose the piano." 

Nicky hums in affirmation, pressing down on a key. "Luckily for us, the piano duet had already been popularized in the second half of the eighteenth century."

"What about Andy and Booker?"

"I chose the harp," Andy says, walking through the church and sitting down with a thump, propping her legs up on the pew in front of her.

" _You_ play the _harp. You._ You _must_ be fucking with me." Nile shakes her head in disbelief. Andy simply shrugs.

"Believe it or not, Andy is capable of being soft and elegant," Joe says as he strolls in, taking a seat on the piano bench. 

Nile notices he is shamelessly enjoying the view of Nicky bent over working on the piano.

"Isn't that right, boss?" Nicky teases, attention not wavering from his task.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Nile says, crossing her arms and sitting back against the bench. 

Ignoring the previous comments, Andy continues. "Booker could never seem to find the right instrument that fit him. It wasn't until closer to the 'Romantic era', that Booker found _his_ instrument."

"What instrument?"

Andy just grins in response, along with a look that says _you'll see_. The man in question is still nowhere to be found.

"Nile, you'll have to excuse us if the sound isn't the most pleasant," Nicky says as he begins to tune the piano once more, due to its age.

"We're a bit rusty." Joe adds with a grin as he stands up to help Nicky.

Nile and Andy sit in comfortable silence as they watch the two work seamlessly on the piano. 

After a few minutes, they seem satisfied with how it sounds, giving each other approving nods and covering everything up again. 

Joe places the tools back into the box before joining Nicky on the bench. They're pressed closely together, their thighs flush against another, and their arms brush each other with each movement. 

They both take a moment to themselves, closing their eyes and spreading their fingers out onto the keys.

Nile watches them, really seeing just how intimate the position is and understands why they both chose the piano.

They could get away with this in public, with no judgement. 

Nicky blinks his eyes open, looking over at Nile. "This song is considered an...." Nicky waves his hand, searching for the phrase. He tsks, turning to Joe, speaking in Italian. 

"'An oldie but a goodie'," Joe finishes for him.

"Grazie, amore mio." Joe bumps his shoulder with his own, giving him a wink. "Feel free to sing along, if you know the words, yes?"

Nile highly doubts she would recognize anything these centuries old immortals would know, but she gives him a small nod in return anyway.

The moment Nicky starts playing the quick tune, she perks up, instantly recognizing the music.

Which meant she knows exactly what is coming next, wondering where Booker is. 

Right on cue, Booker walks into the church, playing a harmonica to the song 'Piano Man', and Joe and Nicky begin again, the sounds reverberating throughout the church. He walks over and leans against the piano.

Nile can’t help the smile that grows on her face. A quick glance towards Andy shows that neither could she.

If that wasn't already enough, Nicky begins to sing softly in Italian.

Joe stumbles over some keys, quickly recovering, having been caught up in the moment watching Nicky.

Nicky doesn’t look over at him, just keeps his head down and continues to play, but Nile can see the side of his mouth tick up the slightest bit.

Judging by Joe's reaction, Nile figures Nicky hasn't sung like this for a long time.

She almost feels like she shouldn't be witnessing any of this, these open and vulnerable moments between the team. 

But then she realizes that’s the point. They’re all opening and revealing parts of themselves to her, welcoming her to be a part of them. 

Before long, everyone has chimed in, belting out the chorus together.

Voices were off tune, and notes were occasionally missed, but the imperfections were what made the moment perfect. 

\-----

Which is why, when the church is completely shot up with Andy inside, and Joe and Nicky are captured, Nile stops to stare at the piano before they leave. 

It's been shot to high heaven, recolored in fresh crimson. An audience of the dead surrounding it.

Nile realizes why they don't often have moments like the one they have shared. But when they do, they know to cherish them, as nothing perfect lasts forever.

**Author's Note:**

> The title is of course from the song Piano Man!
> 
> If you'd like to chat with me about The Old Guard you can find me on tumblr @theresatvjoe (:


End file.
